1 Israel in the Middle East (M E STD 177) TR, 2-3:15pm Location: Bunche 3157 Instructor: Dr. Alon Tam Office Hours: TR, 3:30-4:30pm; or by appointment [email protected] Description This course offers an in-depth look at Israeli history and society, and how it relates to the Middle East through varying lenses. We will discuss such topics as the rise of Jewish, Palestinian, and Arab nationalisms; Conflict and conflict-resolution in Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East; Israel’s Palestinian minority; Jewish immigrants to Israel from the Middle East; Food and music culture in Israel, and their connections to the Middle East; and much more. We will use cutting edge research from several disciplines, and engage with primary sources such as film, music, journalism, memoirs, blogs, and archival documents. Students will leave the class with a firm grasp of Israeli history and society, and will be widely familiar with the different narratives, viewpoints, and complexities concerning Israel and its position in the Middle East. Structure, Assignments, and Assessment Class Dynamics:During class meetings I will usually provide context to the readings, answer your questions, and ask you questions in order to promote an intellectually rigorous discussion of the topic at hand. Therefore, the success of our class meetings depends entirely on your careful preparation before class, and your active participation in the discussion, as outlined below. Discussion:Your contribution to class discussions forms a major part of your assessment in this course. Beyond participating in discussions during class meetings, there will also be a discussion forum on the course website on Canvas, which will serve as an extension of class-time (synchronous) discussions. You should use it to post an after-thought; to raise a point that you did not have time to raise in class; to respond meaningfully to your colleagues; to raise a question, or share a reflection, about the readings before class that you would like to discuss in it; or to post informative items – such as, but not limited to, news, magazine pieces, videos, audio, photographs, or websites – that relate to the course’s content and our discussions. Your activity in the asynchronous discussion forum will count toward your contribution grade. Attendance:You are allowed 2 unannounced and unexcused absences for class. Please communicate with me, in advance, about any other kind of absences and the ways to
accommodate them. Arriving more than 5 minutes late to class will also impact your attendance grade, unless excused in advance. Assignments include:contributing to class discussions; a take-home, essay, final exam (5- pages); a 3-pages book review due in week #5 on a scholarly work of your choosing; and a number of short (1 page) writing assignments that engage with primary sources. The specifics for each assignment will be discussed in detail during class. You are also encouraged to attend any of the academic events organized by the Nazarian Center for Israel Studies: in prior consultation with me, you may earn extra credits for attending and submitting a written report about one or more of the center’s events (see it website: ) Grades will be calculated as follows: Attendance: 5% Writing Assignments: 15% (all together) Contribution to class discussions: 20% Book review: 30% Final exam: 30% Assignments will get a percentage grade (points out of 100), alongside the official letter grades,
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